“So it is with you. Unless you speak intelligible words with your tongue, how will anyone know what you are saying? You will just be speaking into the air.”
- Paul, King Jesus' Ambassador
“And Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet, and said, "Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “Well, how could I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him.”
- Philip and the Ethiopian Eunuch
Speaking in Tongues;
by Duncan Cary Palmer
The ABCs of Interpreting Confusing "Christian-ese"
(From the The Curmudgeon's Bible Collection)
Do you understand the Bible you're reading?
Are you sure? You know the Bible wasn't written in English, right?
How's your Greek, Brother? Your Hebrew, Sister?
Maybe you're a new Christian, or just someone wondering , reading the Bible seriously for the first time to figure out who Jesus is?
Hi! I'm the Bible Curmudgeon...
...and I'm at it again, complaining bitterly about egregiously misleading English translations of the Bible... Shouldn't we care deeply about getting the words of Jesus/God right?
Our adversary Satan has gotten his claws into Bible translations. This has resulted in deeply rooted, fiercely defended, unbiblical traditions.
If Bible writers said what they meant and meant what they said, wouldn't it be great to know what they actually said?
Why not translate these ABCs? (source)
If our mother-tongue is English,
to understand what the Word actually says, we have a choice;
- Study Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic, OR
- Be stuck with translations and one, burning question:
Have translators done an accurate, complete, and honest job?
It should be evident to anyone capable of critical thinking: translators have not done well by us.
As a result, many readers erroneously believe they understand the Bible while completely missing the meaning. Worse yet, many stubbornly defend their erroneous beliefs.
Are you defending the indefensible? (source)
Translated or Transliterated 🤔?
Do you realize Bible translators haven't bothered to translate many important words? Instead, they've given us phonetic equivalents called transliterations that—in many cases—take on meanings that differ vastly from the author's intention.
Can you see the problem? You are reading words that misrepresent what the author said. What you are "hearing" is NOT what the author meant!
The following ABCs...
...are just a few examples of egregiously transliterated Bible words.
Angel (ἄγγελος) - Messenger
We think of angels as winged creatures in white... but the word literally means "messenger." While it might be referring to "one of those," it can also simply refer to a human being bearing a message (see Mark 1:2). Or it may even refer to Jesus/God himself, acting as the "Messenger of the Covenant."
How can you tell which kind of "angel" is in view?
Begin by being clearly aware that the word (Greek ἄγγελος [angelos], Hebrew מַלְאָךְ [mal'āḵ]) means "messenger." Then be sure to carefully consider the context in which the word appears.
Antichrist (ἀντίχριστος) - Imitation King
The prefix "anti" in English means "against," or "opposed to." Not so in Greek, where the primary sense is that of a substitute or a replacement. The word Christ (Χριστός) means King (see below). This makes it clear that an antichrist is any person or organization (other than Jesus) that claims the right to rule you.
The most obvious examples of antichrist are political leaders at all levels—presidents, kings, governors, mayors—who pretend they have the right to order you around, and "governing bodies" (such as legislatures and "supreme" courts) that make and enforce "laws" binding you to do or not do certain things.
Deplorably, this tyranny extends to many leaders within the organized church who presume to command you, rather than pointing you to the Blessed and Only Sovereign, King Jesus.
Apostle (ἀπόστολος) - Delegate or Ambassador
An apostle is anyone sent out on a mission.
Failing to translate the word displays theological bias in support of the idea that "apostle" is an official title rather than an organic gifting or particular mission.
Baptize (βαπτίζω) - Immerse in order to cleanse
Ignore for the moment the ongoing controversy over the mode of Christian baptism (immersion, dipping, pouring, sprinkling) and realize that the word "baptize" is a Greek word, not an English word.
I fall squarely into the "immersion" camp, but what I hope you'll take away from this discussion is that the original authors and listeners "baptized" their cups and pots and pans. Knowing that, can you imagine what the word meant to them?
Christ (Χριστός) - The Annointed One
This is perhaps the the most all-pervasively damning example of how transliteration corrupts understanding. Historically, three people were annointed; prophets, priests, and kings. Jesus, of course, fills all three of those roles, and is presently seated at the right hand of the Father as King of the Universe.
Do you think our appreciation for who Jesus is might be a little greater if the more than 500 times "Christ" appears in the New Testament we instead read "King?" Check out this comprehensive discussion of how we should translate the word "Christ."
Deacon (διάκονος) - Servant
Usually translated "servant," but confusingly, sometimes translated as "minister" when the translators want to promote politics. Selectively transliterated as "deacon" when speaking of one serving the ecclesia (church). This improperly bolsters the notion that the church is a hierarchical organization with a separate and superior "consistory" leadership, rather than Jesus' organic body with many differently functioning but equally important parts/members.
Evangelize (εὐαγγελίζω - Proclaim good news
What is this good news we can share?
We are free from all moral obligation to bow to the tyrants. We are resident aliens on Earth, who answer to one Sovereign and one only; King Jesus.
The really good news comes when you realize that Jesus—as our Creator, the only one with a legitimate right to actually rule us—is a benevolent ruler who truly has our best interests at heart. Jesus offers to accept us as we are, to completely forgive and overlook all of our wrongdoings and shortcomings, and to usher us into the most incredibly wonderful Kingdom imaginable!
Philosophy (φιλοσοφία - Love of wisdom
The English meaning of our final example actually closely matches the meaning of the Greek word, but it is "the exception that proves the rule." In Greek it literally means "the love of wisdom," which I suppose describes philosophers?
I hope this sample...
...of transliterated Bible words has opened your eyes to the problem. Be on the alert for other transliterations in the Bible; they are more common than you might imagine (see a few more examples below):
An incomplete list of transliterated words: (Ἀβαδδών, Ἀββᾶ, Ἄβελ, Ἀβιάθαρ, Ἀβιληνή, ἄλφα, ἀνάθεμα, παραβολή, προφήτης, διαμόνιον, μυστήριον...)
How can you deal with words like this when you notice them? - Look them up and study them for yourself!
Let's look at a few tools to help with this:
Misunderstood, Mistranslated Bible Passages (source)
Helpful Online Study Aids
Note: This is not a blanket endorsement of the theological perspective of any of these sources.
So you've uncovered another transliterated word? Spend some time researching what it means in the original language. Compare and contrast that with what it currently means in modern English.
Blue Letter Bible
This is a superb resource for non-language-adept students of scripture. Its tools display Bible chapters in the original languages, including links to multiple lexicons and listings of verses (in your choice of easily selected English translation) containing the words.
Bible Web App (3.0)
I use this spectacular tool on a daily basis as I continue my project of reading through the Greek New Testament. I particularly love that it frees me from the need to thumb through a dozen reference books as I read. Instead, I can exercise my existing Greek knowledge undistracted. When I run into a word I don't recall, clicking it immediately brings up its parsing and Strongs lexical definitions.
Abarim Publications
This fascinating website includes an Interlinear Greek New Testament. Most of the Greek words are linked to articles like this that very helpfully interconnect, discuss, and describe related words and their roots.
Bible Gateway
This is a great resource for doing head-to-head comparisons of English translations. If you select a single verse, you can choose to see an exhaustive listing of that verse as translated in all of the English editions the site supports.
Bible Hub
Here you can find a complete sequential listing of Strong's Numbers with the associated phonetic spellings of each Hebrew and Greek word.
Are you super-serious?
If you've "Had it up to here!" with being bottle-fed the "milk of the word," and want to really dig in, here are a couple of on-line sources for beginning a serious study of the original Biblical languages:
Learn Koine (Common) Greek (the language of the New Testament).
Learn Hebrew and Aramaic (the languages of the Old Testament).
Stop being misled by transliterations...
Let's help one another!
Poor English translations (and the false traditions they reflect and propagate) are not the final word. Be a good Berean, and share what you learn from your own studies with us all in the comments below.
This is The Bible Curmudgen, signing off for now with a final warning:
Proceed with some caution...
As you start examining Biblical words for yourself, be sure to do it right; don't assume that the lexical, or even the etymological meaning is correct. Check out this excellent overview of how to do a word study.
~FIN~
NOTE: Most of my posts contain hyperlinks to enlightening information.
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